Assassins' Tango
by Katana Black
Summary: When Riku finds out his assassination agency wants him dead, that doesn't shock him. What does is that they hired his boyfriend to do it. A SoRiku fic; AU, yaoi, violence, language
1. Breaking Point

Finally, Sora Mikan couldn't take it anymore. As his boyfriend of ten months unlocked and entered their apartment, he casually called out, "Riku, are you cheating on me?"

Riku Tsumetai froze, not expecting Sora to still be awake, and then relaxed. "Hello, to you to, Sor," he said sardonically, loud enough for the other to hear. He made his way to their bedroom, closing the door behind himself.

In the kitchen where he was slicing an apple, Sora smiled to himself, shaking his head with regret. Quickly opening and closing a drawer, he rounded the corner and opened the door to their bedroom without as much as a warning knock. The silver-haired male was in the act of pulling off his T-shirt, but stopped at the sight of his boyfriend. "Sora—"

"I asked you," cut in Sora icily, cerulean eyes flashing, "a question. Are you cheating on me?"

Riku sighed. "Sora, of course not. I love you. I would never—"

"It's four o' clock in the fucking morning, Riku," spat Sora in a low voice. "Six hours ago you said you'd be going out for a little while. Six hours is not a little while." He waited for the excuses.

Riku mentally cringed. He hadn't been as careful this time; he'd forgotten to call and let Sora know he'd be home late. Maybe it was time to just come clean, and hope for the best. "Sora, I'm sorry. I forgot to call you," he said. "I really just forgot."

Sora sighed and briefly looked to the side before bringing up a gun to point at Riku's face. "Look," Sora said amicably, "I'm not playing games here. I'd really hate to do this to you. Honest. I like you. A lot."

He leaned in and gave Riku a small kiss to prove his point. "But," he continued, "I can't tolerate unfaithfulness. I don't care if you want to lie to me about every other thing on the face of the Earth, but lie to me about cheating, and I will kill you." He narrowed his eyes in warning.

Riku's heart beat triple time in his chest. "Sora," he asked shakily, "where did you get that?"

"Oh, this?" Sora waved the gun, dismissing the question. "I've had this for years. You're avoiding the question, Riku." He refocused on Riku's face.

"I'm not cheating on you, Sora, I swear on my soul," Riku answered hurriedly. "I—"

Just then, a knock sounded on the apartment door. Sora closed his eyes and sighed. "Stay here," he said, "I'll get the door. You'd better be in this exact spot when I get back."

Sora turned and made his way to the front door, holding the gun behind his back as he opened it.

"Hey, Riku, you left—oh. Hi. You're not Riku," said the person at the door. Sora looked him up and down. Taller than he was, with impossibly spiked red hair, acid green eyes, upside-down triangle tattoos on his face, and…

"Is that a fishnet shirt in your hand?" Sora glared at the man with narrowed eyes, daring him to try and lie his way out. He knew that shirt. He was the one who bought it.

"Uh…um, yeah, I guess…so…" he said, shrinking back. "I'll just—I'll just come back later—"

"Nope," said Sora, grabbing the man by the jacket and hauling him into the apartment. Throwing him onto the couch, he pointed the gun at him while fishing underneath the couch cushion for another. With one hand pointing a gun at the red-haired intruder, and the other pointing the gun at his bedroom door, he called, "Riku, darling, you can come out now."

Inside the bedroom, Riku paced, trying to think of all the possible people who could be showing up at their apartment at this late hour. When Sora called for him, he hoped and prayed it was one of the three people on his list who wouldn't get him killed.

Turning the corner, he immediately saw three things: one, impossibly spiked red hair; two, a gun aimed right for his face; and three, Sora's rather infuriated face. "Mind explaining _this_, honey?" Sora smiled, but there was absolutely no sweetness behind it.

Riku glanced behind Sora to see a stunned Axel sitting on the couch, also at gunpoint. "Oh, shit," Riku said.

* * *

A/N: An idea for a SoRiku I had. Based loosely off _Mr. and Mrs. Smith_, only a little different. Reviews, constructive criticism appreciated!

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Kingdom Hearts. If I did, Xemnas would be at my door begging me to have it.


	2. Actually, I'd Be Happy To Explain

"Listen, Sora," Riku started nervously, edging closer to the back of the sofa where Axel sat, "Axel is—"

"Axel is what, sweetie? I'm _dying_ to know," Sora replied, cocking his gun. "And stop moving. Now."

Riku immediately stopped where he stood, casting fearful glances over to Axel, who only stared back in matching fear. He didn't say a word as Sora ripped the shirt from Axel's hands and shoved it into Riku's arms. "I can't believe you," he said coldly. "Ten months, and you throw it all away for a fling with _him_?"

"Sora, listen to me, I need to expla—" Riku stepped back as Sora brought his hands up to height again, one gun aimed for his face, the other for his heart. "Sora, please…"

Sora shook his head. "At least now I have a good reason to kill you," he said, and without hesitation, he pulled the trigger. Axel shouted as the bullet fired, standing up to stop Sora, but realizing he was a moment too late. The bullet flew past Riku's face and crashed into a vase on the dining room table, shattering it and leaving the fresh flowers in a puddle.

Riku flinched as the bullet hit him, but not as much as he thought he would. He figured he'd be on the floor by now, cold and unfeeling, but that was not the case. As a matter of fact, the entire left side of his face hurt like a bitch. He raised a trembling hand to his face to feel a thin cut reaching all the way back across his ear. "Sor—"

Sora engaged the safety on both of his guns. He stared at Riku, eyes blazing and hard. "Like I said, I have good reason to kill you," he muttered, "but I won't. I'm giving you one chance—one chance, Riku, and you'd better have a damn good reason."

Riku nodded numbly, trying to take everything in at once. Since when had his boyfriend become such a good shot? Never mind that, since when did Sora know how to shoot a gun?

He barely noticed as Sora left the room, returning with a few medical supplies. "Sit," the brunet commanded, and Riku obeyed, slumping down onto the couch beside Axel. Sora worked from behind the couch, tilting Riku's head to properly apply ointment and some bandages.

"You…shot me," said Riku blankly.

"How observant," Sora said dryly. He finished taping down the last of the bandages with gentle fingers, and then crossed the room to sit on the table in front of them. "Now. Speak."

Axel was more than happy. "Look, man, I'm not sleeping with him. You might not trust him, but trust me, I've got one back home who could smell another man on me like a K-9 unit can smell crack. No way in hell would I risk my life like that, especially for a cocky, stuck-up, arrogant, jerk-off like Riku," he said quickly.

"Thanks, Ax, that really means a lot," muttered Riku. Then he sighed. "Sora, he's telling the truth. The only time I've ever had sex with him was years ago, way before I even knew you existed. We've only been friends since."

"Oh, really?" Sora raised an eyebrow and cocked his head. "So, you have had sex with him?"

Axel slapped a palm to his face. "Way to go, Riku," he sighed. "Piss him off even more, why don't ya?"

"It's not like that," Riku shouted in frustration. "We have no romantic relationship whatsoever!"

"Then what the hell was he doing with your shirt, Riku?" Sora, too, was shouting, desperate to get some answers.

"I had to change," Riku said, "and before you start shouting again, no, it wasn't because we had sex! I had to change into a different outfit so I could go on a mission!"

"A…mission?" Sora glanced between his boyfriend and the red-haired man.

"Yes, a mission. Sora, I'm…an assassin. A hitman," Riku finally admitted. "I work with an agency called Organization XIII. There's fifteen of us, including Axel and myself. I've been with them since I was a teenager."

Silence blanketed the apartment, until Sora spoke. "An assassin, huh," he said quietly. "So…I guess that's what you expect me to believe." But the moment Riku had said so, he knew; this admission made perfect sense. Riku never suspected, but Sora had caught glimpses of the blood spattered clothes when Riku thought he was asleep. Sora had found the various weapons—knives, daggers, guns, poisons—all well-hidden around the apartment. And the ones that weren't his, well, now he knew whose exactly they were. The only thing Sora wondered was how he didn't come up with this sooner.

"No, Sora, that's the truth," pleaded Riku. "I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want to drag you into it. You—you could be killed simply for the fact that you live with me, completely disregarding the fact that we're _dating_. Now that you know…" Riku shook his head. "I just wanted to protect you. I didn't want to get you involved."

Sora wanted to cry at the ridiculousness of it all. "Too late for that, Riku," he said with one of his trademark grins. "I'm already involved." He started laughing.

Axel watched him curiously. "Uh, I think your boyfriend's gone _loco_, _hombre_," he said. Riku shoot him a glare and turned to Sora.

"Sora," he said softly, "I'm sorry. I never meant for it to be this way."

Sora wiped away tears from his eyes. "Oh, Riku," he said, "you're so silly sometimes. Didn't you ever notice? How I'd always shout at the TV when the killer in the movies did something wrong? How I sometimes have miraculous moments of extreme dexterity that completely contradict my constant clumsiness? How I know exactly where and how to stab someone with the least amount of blood spilled? Or am I that good?"

Both Riku and Axel stared at him silently.

"Oh," said Sora, his laughs quieting down to mere chuckles, "I guess I am. Well, then, I guess I'll have to spell it out: I'm an assassin, too!"

At this new information, Riku burst into laughter. "Sora, I'm being serious," he finally said as his laughter died off, "I really am an assassin."

Sora frowned. "Me, too," he said. "Do you really think I shot you point blank in the face and missed? Christ, a blind two-year-old wouldn't have missed."

Axel looked hard at Riku. "He has a point, Riku," he said. "He barely missed you. A couple centimetres, and it would have been your head instead of that vase. That takes serious skill, skill he wouldn't have without practice…" The red-head trailed off, leaving Riku to think about it.

Sora turned to him. "Hm. You're observant. What's your name again?"

"Axel," he said with a wink, "A-X-E-L. Commit it to memory."

The brunet rolled his eyes. "Sure, A-X-E-L," he said sarcastically.

Riku interrupted them. "Wait. So let me get this straight. I'm an assassin. Axel's an assassin. And you're an assassin, too?"

Sora nodded.

"So, right now, everyone in this apartment is an assassin?" Riku wanted to be sure what he understood was correct.

Axel nodded.

"And none of us are dead yet," Riku finished.

Both Sora and Axel nodded.

"How?!" Riku stood up abruptly, grabbing one of Sora's guns and aiming it randomly around the apartment. "This can't just be some coincidence. This has to be some sort of set up. One of us has to be a target."

Sora fidgeted. "Actually," he started. Riku whirled on him, and Sora held his hands up in surrender. "Just hang on a sec," he said, running off to the bedroom.

As he waited for Sora to return, Riku turned to Axel. "An assassin? I can't believe I missed that," he said.

Axel shrugged. "I can't believe you didn't tell me you had such a cute boyfriend," he said in reply. "Kinda reminds me of Roxy, don't you think?"

Riku raised an eyebrow. "Are you kidding? Those two are exact opposites," he exclaimed.

"Nah, nah, like, physically, I mean. If you dyed Roxy's hair and styled it different, they'd look like twins," Axel said.

Riku shook his head and made a face. "That's not the point here, Axel," he said. "The point is that Sora's an assassin. And I _missed_ it. Do you know how dead I could be right now?"

Oh, the irony.

Axel didn't get a chance to reply as Sora returned with a folder in his hands. "Here," he said, handing the folder to Riku. Riku place the gun on the table, taking the folder from Sora and rifling through. On several pages he saw his own name. "What is this?" He glanced up to Sora for an explanation.

Sora wrung his hands. "Don't get mad at me, but…it's a contract. On you," said Sora. "My agency gave it to me about a week ago and said that someone had specifically requested me for the job. Leon said it was up to me what I wanted to do with it, so I took it. I've been trying to find out who requested the hit before doing anything on it."

"Holy shit, two billion dollars? That a lot of fucking money," breathed Axel as he read the files over Riku's shoulder.

Riku wasn't listening. The folder held a comprehensive background on him, excluding all of his dealings with Organization XIII. From his childhood life on Destiny Islands, to his current residence in Hollow Bastion, every single move was recorded in the papers. His daily routine—mapped out to the minute. Everything, his entire life, was condensed into a stack of papers, and Riku knew only one person had the power to know this much about him.

"Xemnas," Riku growled, forming his hands into fists. "I can't fucking believe he would do this."

"Do what? And who?" Sora questioned Riku's reaction, but got no answers.

"Riku, you don't really think Xemnas—" Axel started, but Riku cut him off.

"Of course he would," said Riku. "He planned this from the moment I let him know that I plan to quit. He found out about Sora somehow, and was willing to use him to get to me. If Sora didn't take the contract, then he would have just eliminated Sora, and me as well, and made it look like a homicide-suicide."

"Hello? Still feeling a little out of the loop here," said Sora.

"Xemnas is our boss," said Axel quickly, "the head of Organization XIII. Riku thinks it was him—"

"I _know_ it was him," Riku stated.

"—who put out this contract, especially since Riku told him that he was quitting the Organization sometime soon," finished Axel.

Riku threw the folder onto the table. "I just can't believe that he'd use Sora like that," he murmured. "I mean, I can, I just—"

"It doesn't seem real?" Sora suggested. Riku nodded. "Don't worry about it," Sora said cheerfully. "I'm not as stupid as I seem, and I'm a lot tougher than I look. I wouldn't have killed you for no reason."

"I guess that's what you meant earlier, then," said Riku, raising and eyebrow.

Sora grinned ruefully. "Yeah. Sorry about that," he apologized. They fell silent, each trying to readjust to all of the new information.

"So…hate to break the silence, but what now? It's not like Xemnas is just going to let this drop," said Axel. "If you don't kill Riku, Sora, Xemnas is going to start sending us after you. Both of you," he said to Riku in particular.

A pained look crossed Sora's face. "I can't kill Riku," he said quietly. "I love him. I couldn't—"

A number of rapid pounds sounded at the door, and the trio glanced at each other. "I'll open it," whispered Axel, "you two back me up." Drawing a gun from his waistband, Axel crept towards the door, and Riku and Sora hid behind the sofa on opposite ends.

Opening the door with weapon drawn, Axel was surprised to see who it was. "Roxas? What are you—"

"No time to talk," said the petit blond, pushing his way into the apartment. "I don't know what the hell is going on, but I'm not letting Sora get hurt. Where is he?"

The spiky-haired brunet scrambled from behind the couch at the mention of his name. "Rox—Roxas?" He asked softly, as if he couldn't believe it.

Roxas smiled weakly. "Hey," he said. "Long time no see, bro."


	3. Now Is Not The Time For Family Reunions

"Roxas, is it really you?" Axel and Riku could only look on in amazement as Sora recognized his brother.

"Yeah," admitted Roxas, "it's really—umph."

Sora dropped his gun with a clatter on the floor, racing to wrap his brother in a tight hug. Joyous tears streamed down his face as he buried his face in Roxas' neck. "Rox, I haven't seen you in so long," he cried. "Seven years, Roxas! Where the hell have you been?"

"Apparently, right down the street," mumbled Roxas. "But Sor, you gotta listen. We have to get out of here."

Axel shook his head. "Wait, wait, hang on," he said. "You two are brothers?"

"Twins," Sora shouted happily, attacking his brother with renewed excitement.

He threw a fist into the air in victory. "Hah! Told you so, Ri," Axel said smugly. Riku shook him off.

"Whatever," he said. "Rox, what are you doing here? You something about not letting Sora get hurt. What's going on?"

Roxas gently pushed a pouting Sora away from himself and turned to Riku. "I was just checking in at the Castle after an early morning hit," he said, tugging on the sleeve of his standard issue black coat. "I overheard Marluxia and Larxene talking about orders to go to Riku's apartment and eliminate everyone there." He fell silent, glancing between Riku and Sora.

"Shit," swore Axel, "how long ago was that?"

Sora glanced between his boyfriend and his twin. "You two know each other?"

Roxas looked up at the ceiling and closed his eyes. "Listen, Sor, it's a little complicated to explain right now—"

"He already knows," called Riku tiredly, moving about the apartment and packing necessities into bags. "You're a little late to the party, Rox. Turns out Sora's an assassin, too."

Roxas was speechless. "What? Since when? That can't be true," he said, whirling on his brother. Sora was supposed to be the good one, the one their parents could be proud of. He was supposed to stay on the right side, not become as illegal as he was. But Sora only nodded, affirming what Riku said.

"I've been tracking you ever since I left," said Roxas desperately, "I never noticed anything. You have a job at an ice cream parlor. You have an annoying friend named Yuffie. You're _normal_."

Sora smiled with pride. "I'm just that good, Rox," he said shaking his head. "You didn't know I was dating Riku, did you?"

Roxas looked to the side. "I guess—I guess not," he mumbled.

Sora raised an eyebrow. "Exactly. And what do you mean, 'I was checking in after an early morning hit'? Are you an assassin?"

Roxas nodded, blushing a little. "I work with the same agency as Riku and Axel."

Sora's jaw dropped. Turning to Riku as he re-entered the room with two duffle bags, he exclaimed, "You mean you _knew_ him all this time?"

"I didn't know he was your brother," Riku hurried to explain.

Axel waved his arms. "Um, hello? We've got two high-level assassins, quite possibly and probably more than that, on our asses. I really don't think now's the time to hold an impromptu Jerry Springer session," he said.

Sora brightened, completely forgetting about his argument. "Oh! I know just the thing," he said. He ran into the kitchen, opening and shutting cupboards with rapid speed, throwing various firearms onto the countertop, before returning to the living room and promptly tipping over the couch.

Muttering to himself, Sora quickly found the zipper he was looking for. Undoing a false bottom, he removed package upon package of ammo, carrying an armful to the kitchen, where he proceeded to quickly and efficiently load each of the guns.

Roxas, Axel, and Riku watched him with astonishment. "I…I don't even know him anymore," whispered Roxas.

"Yo," agreed Riku.

"All done," chirped Sora. He held eleven guns in all, discounting the two he had pulled out earlier. "Load up, everyone."

As they each tucked a couple guns into their waistbands, Axel muttered, "Christ, kid, what the hell were you stocking for, World War Three?"

"A good assassin is always prepared," answered Sora, taking the last few guns for himself, "for anything and everything."

"Speaking of assassins," said Riku, "how long do you think we have until Marly and Larx get here?"

Roxas checked a watch on his wrist. "When I left, they were still getting ready. It's, like, half an hour from here to there—"

"And we just spent about twenty minutes chatting it up," complained Axel. "So really, we should be—"

"Well, well, Larxene," said a deep voice from the doorway, "looks like we've crashed a party. Good thing we brought friends."

Axel, Riku, Roxas, and Sora all looked to the voice. A pink-haired man lounged against the doorframe, wearing the same type of cloak Roxas had on. "Marluxia," growled Axel.

"And don't forget me, darling," said the blonde woman behind him. Her hair was styled in an unusual way, and she was wearing a matching cloak as well. "How've you been, Axel?"

He didn't respond, only stared at them with fury in his eyes. Marluxia laughed. "Of course," he said, "I won't waste time with pleasantries. Since a certain little snitch here—" he sneered at Roxas, "—had the courtesy of letting you know we were coming, I suppose we might as well just get on with it."

Sora spoke up. "Hang on," he said with a smirk, folding his hands behind his back. "You're telling me this, 'Organization XIII,' sent a pink-haired homo and the Bug Lady to kill me? I'm insulted." With discreet gestures, he motioned for Roxas to move towards the back of the apartment.

Larxene growled, the hand not holding a gun clenching into a fist. "Insulted? I'll show you insulted, you insolent little brat," she said. She raised her gun, releasing the safety with a small click.

Riku sighed, readying his own weapon. He noticed Sora motioning for him to move over, and inconspicuously took a couple steps to the side. "Yeah, Sora? Not exactly the people you want to piss off," he muttered, just before the gunfire started.

He and Axel dove behind the overturned couch as Marluxia and Larxene fired round after round into the fluffy piece of furniture, littering the room with cotton and feathers in no time. Roxas grabbed Sora's arm, dragging him over to the balcony doors.

"Come on," he shouted, shooting out the glass doors, "we can probably get out through the fire escape."

"Riku and Axel?" Sora asked, glancing back at the two, who finally had a chance to fire back as Marluxia and Larxene stopped to reload.

"They'll follow after us," said Roxas, leaning over the balcony railing and looking down. "Shit."

"What," said Sora, following his brother's gaze. Down below them, a man was standing patrol in the alleyway, which was conveniently blocked by a car. "Oh. No problem," said Sora. "Let Axel and Riku know we're leaving in about…sixty seconds."

"What? That's—Sora, we have to find another way out," argued Roxas.

Sora shook his head quickly. "No, no! Trust me on this, Rox," he said. "I got this. Go help Axel and Riku."

Roxas debated for a moment, and then nodded. "Don't do anything stupid," he warned.

Sora flashed him a thumbs up, before leaning over the railing and shouting, "Oy! Hey, you! Down there! Yeah, I'm talking to you, douche-face!"

Behind him, Roxas slapped the back of his hand to his forehead. "Sooooora," he whined.

"Shoo! Go help those two," Sora said quickly, before turning back to the balcony. The man below looked up to him. an eye-patch over his right eye, aiming a gun with two hands. "Piece of cake," muttered Sora, throwing himself flat against the wall as bullets flew.

When he heard a break in the man's firing, Sora quickly made his way to the edge, pointing two guns over the railing and firing off two shots. One shot made its way into the man's shoulder, while the other buried itself in his upper arm. The man shouted in pain, grabbing his left arm.

"And the finishing touch," whispered Sora, taking aim once more. "Ah-ha!" He fired two rounds into the man's right hand, making him shout out again and stumble to the ground.

Sora waited, keeping steady aim, until he heard the slam of a car door over the steady stream of bullets behind him. Another man entered his field of vision, a short-haired blond. Giving the newcomer the same treatment as the other, Sora then waited another ten seconds, and, satisfied that no one else would be arriving, turned back inside.

"Rox! Riku! I'm heading down," he shouted. "Come around front, I'll have the car started!"

Inside the apartment, Riku and Axel hid behind the now destroyed couch while Roxas sat behind an overturned armchair. Roxas waved to Sora, letting him know that he'd heard him.

Marluxia and Larxene were hidden behind the partial wall that separated the kitchen from the living room. Marluxia was sporting a mild cut across his neck, a close call, and Larxene was busy peering around the wall.

The moment they spotted her antennae-like bangs, Axel and Riku fired off rounds in quick succession. Larxene flung herself back with a hiss. "Marly," she gritted out, "we might have to—"

"No," interrupted Marluxia. "They're not getting out of here alive. Especially Axel."

Unbeknownst to them, however, Roxas was silently shouting for Axel and Riku to head out the window. The two of them duck-walked over to the balcony, Riku with the two bags, and Roxas following close behind. "Up and over," he whispered fiercely, "Sora's waiting out front with a car."

Axel took one look over the railing and backed away. "Are you insane? That's a four-story jump, Rox," he said, shaking the blond by the shoulders.

Riku already had his guns in his waistband and one leg over the railing. He threw the bags over the railing first and then turned to the panicking Axel. "Climb down the fire escapes, Axel," he said with an exasperated sigh, "or just jump if you like. No one's complaining."

Axel stuck his tongue out at Riku and followed him over the railing, and Roxas soon followed after. As they one by one dropped to the ground, Riku knelt down by the two bodies lying prone and unconscious on the ground.

"Xigbar and Luxord," he muttered. Both had been pistol-whipped, as well as shot several times, but appeared to be alive.

"Dude," breathed Axel, "your brother is bad_ass_."

"Don't remind me," grumbled Roxas, running a hand through his spikes. "Come on, we need to leave before—"

A clang sounded from above them, and they all looked skyward to see an enraged Marluxia leaning over the railing, closely followed by Larxene, just as angered. The pink-haired man snarled, and then opened fire on the trio below.

The three of them ran, bullets eating at their heels. They ran down the block to the corner, where Sora was waiting for them. He leaned over and threw open the doors just as Riku tossed the bags in, Axel followed after him, and Roxas took the front seat. The moment all of the doors were closed, Sora took off, speeding down the street and quickly leaving the apartment behind.

They drove in silence for a few blocks before Roxas said quietly, "We can go to my apartment. We'll get some rest, and then figure what to do later. Turn left here."

Sora nodded, focused on the road. The car fell quiet again for a while, before Roxas spoke again. "So, you drive a Mustang," he said, trailing his fingers along the edge of the door handle.

"Yep," said Sora proudly, patting the steering wheel, "Shelby GT 500."

"Oh," said Roxas. And then, a moment later: "Damn, we really have a lot of catching up to do."

* * *

A/N: Thank you to all of the following reviewers and story/author alerts: YukaiChick, Kanika, xxBeautifulxxNightmarexx, Sky91, Ninny-na, and Wilixer. Thanks, guys! ^_^


	4. In Media Res

A/N: I'm starting to update again, because, as usual, school is starting again, and since I don't have as much free time on my hands, I will be writing more. :p Go figure. To all my reviewers/favs/alerts: XxXmaxiumuM-RideRXxX, cin425, Sky91, xxBeautifulxxNightmarexx, Ninny-na, Your Alien, YukaiChick, Night's Mirth, spanksizzle27, Wilixer, DieChan, Whitefleur, Demonicsniperkit, La Sacre Ensorceleurse, WingedAngelGuardian

THANKS GUYS! Hope you enjoy the next chapter, more to come soon!

* * *

"So, can we start from the beginning?" Sora asked, comfortably nestled in the corner of the couch with a can of Coke.

Riku snorted derisively. "I don't even know where that is," he muttered.

"I do," said Roxas sullenly, glancing over at Axel, and then Sora. "It started when I left seven years ago."

Sora's face became shuttered as he looked away from his brother. "Oh. Of course. When you left," he said quietly.

A tense silence fell over the four of them. Riku glanced at Axel, whose eyes flickered between the twins. Neither Roxas nor Sora would meet each others' eyes, and Roxas sighed heavily.

"I didn't leave to spite you, or Mom and Dad," he finally said. "I left because I wanted to protect you all. I didn't want you guys to get caught up in my mess, my problems.

"Marluxia was the one who found me first. We were, what, 12? No, we were 13, going on 14, the summer before high school. I was out walking on the far side of the island, and I was jumped by a gang."

"Wait, the far side of what island?" Riku interrupted Roxas quickly with a note of panic in his voice.

"Destiny Islands," answered Sora brusquely. Before Riku could say anything further, Sora continued, "Yeah, we grew up on the same island and never met each other. Get over it. Continue with the story, Rox."

Riku stared at Sora with a displeased pout on his face. Roxas ignored the interjection and moved on.

"Anyway, Marluxia happened to appear on the scene right when I was really about to get my ass handed to me. He got rid of my attackers, helped me to my feet, made a stupid comment about how well I held my own, and then disappeared. That was the last I heard of him for about a week. I didn't say anything to you because I didn't want you to worry, Sora," he admitted guiltily.

Sora pouted. "You told me that Kairi beat you up and pushed you down a flight of stairs," he whined. "You lied to me! Your own twin!"

Roxas rolled his eyes. "You're the dumbshit that believed me," he stated matter-of-factly. "Kairi couldn't beat up a marshmallow."

"That's what _you_ think," muttered Sora, taking a sip of his Coke.

Roxas stared silently at Sora until the pieces came together. "Wait…you can't mean that…"

"Oh, yeah," said Sora. "She's an assassin, too."

Roxas was lost in thought, the impact of everything that he'd missed by leaving home hitting him hard. Finally Axel said, "What the hell, does Destiny Islands breed assassins or something?"

Roxas, Sora, and Riku all glared at him. "Just sayin'," Axel groused, shrinking into the couch.

"So," Roxas said, returning everyone's attention back to himself, "we went to high school, you remember right?"

Sora nodded, smiling a little at the fond memory. "I was so mad that we didn't have any classes together."

"Yeah," said Roxas absently. "Well, guess who was in my first block class? Marluxia, that's who. I don't know if you remember seeing him around school, but he was a sophomore, and really popular. He remembered me from that night and introduced me to all of his friends, showed me around, stuff like that. I thought...I thought they were real friends—I mean..." He glanced to the side, suddenly embarrassed to have to explain himself to his brother.

"Hey," said Axel softly, "we were friends, right? You had me."

Roxas's face twisted into a grimace. "I _hated_ you, Axel. If there was anyone I couldn't stand more than Xemnas, it was you."

Axel's face fell. "Whaaaa--? But we were best buddies, Rox! Come on, don't break my heart!"

The petite blond chose only to snicker lightly and continue with his story. "That's why I kept sneaking out so often, Sor. Making excuses not to hang out with you and Kairi and the others. I got so caught up with Organization XIII, I thought that was where I belonged. They had a way of making me think like they did, and I started doing things without questioning why. Sex, drugs, alcohol, parties. As lame as it sounds, I felt cool. Sometimes they would take me along on one of their kills, and I thought nothing of it. And then, sophomore year..."

"When you left," said Sora, "you left without telling anyone goodbye."

"I didn't want you to get hurt, Sora," Roxas gritted out. "I didn't want anyone to get hurt. He forced me to kill, and even worse, I was good at it, and he knew it. Xemnas will stop at nothing to get what he wants, and he threatened you, Sora. He threatened to kill you if I didn't kill for him."

"Then why did he let you run away?" Sora shouted at his brother in an uncharacteristic display of anger, standing up quickly to get in his face. "If he wanted you so badly, then why did he let you leave?"

"Because that's how Xemnas operates," said Riku quietly. His aquamarine eyes met with Sora's darker cerulean ones for a moment before Riku looked away in contempt. "He let Roxas go because he knew one day Roxas would need his help again. Xemnas is very powerful, Sora."

"I didn't know where else to turn, Sora," Roxas nearly whispered. "I had no one, no where to go. And then one day, he showed up, and I couldn't turn him down. I'm sorry."

Sora threaded a hand through his spikes and growled in frustration. Now that he knew the truth, he couldn't help but be even more angry with his twin. After a few tense moments, he finally hauled Roxas up from the chair and slugged him across the face.

He ignored Axel's noise of indignation, Riku's affronted, "Hey...", and Roxas' grunt of shock, choosing only to give his brother a pointed glare before wrapping him in an awkward hug. "Don't apologize," he said, voice muffled in Roxas' shoulder, "just promise me you'll never be such an asshat ever again."

Roxas nodded as much as he could with his face wedged between Sora's spikes and his hand. When Sora let him go, he was still rubbing his sore cheek, reddened from where Sora had hit him. "You really have changed," he murmured.

Sora shrugged. "It's your fault," he said only half-accusingly. "When you left, I had to be strong for everyone, and then stronger for myself. Mum and Dad were heartbroken, all of our friends..." He trailed off, lost in thought, in memories of what had been.

"Anyway, you could almost say it's your fault I'm an assassin now, because after you left, I had a _lot_ of angry thoughts. And I couldn't really _tell_ anyone, because I was supposed to be the one they could all come to. And I _really_ needed an output for all my anger, and I really, _really_ wanted to find you, so I—"

Roxas winced. "Please don't continue," he said lowly, looking to the ground. "It's bad enough to find out you're the same as me, I don't need to hear how it was all my fault."

Sora opened his mouth to argue, but Axel stopped him, placing a hand on his arm and shaking his head softly. The brunet looked back and forth between the two, realizing that he wasn't the only one who had changed over the years. He folded his arms and gave a disgruntled grumble, but otherwise stayed silence and let the matter drop.

"It's already late, and we all need out energy for tomorrow, so maybe we should hit the sack," announced Axel, nodding towards Riku and Sora. "You two can sleep in the guest room." He crossed the room and picked up their bags, stopping in front of Roxas, who glanced at him expectantly. Axel started to say something, thought better of it, and simply gave Roxas a brief kiss on the cheek and a smile. Riku, likewise, gave him a shaky smile as he followed Axel out of the room, leaving the twins alone together.

"I—" Sora began to apologize, but quickly realized that wasn't what Roxas needed to hear right now, nor was it what he wanted to stay. Moving closer to him, he gave Roxas another hug and whispered instead, "I love you, Rox," before trailing after Riku.

* * *

Later, when they were all settled in and the apartment was dark and quiet, Sora looked over to where his boyfriend lay face to the pillow, breathing peacefully.

"Riku?"

Silence.

"Riii-kuuu." Sora jostled his shoulder lightly.

"Mmnngh."

"Are you mad at me?"

"Nnngh."

Sora seemed satisfied with that answer. "Okay. Hey, Riku."

"Whhmm."

"You think Rox is mad at me?"

"Nnnngh."

Sora smiled. "That's good. Say, now that we're both, like, 'out of the closet,' so to speak, d'ya think we'll—"

"Sora, go the fuck to sleep," Riku moaned turning his face from the pillow.

Sora's eyes widened. "Oh. Okay. Alrighty. Good night, then, Riku."

"G'night."

"I love you."

"Love you, too."

Sora turned on his back, folding his arms behind his head and closing his eyes.

"Riku?"

Silence.

"Sorry about shooting you in the face."

* * *

A/N: A little short, but the point I needed to get across wasn't that long. The next chapter will be longer, though! Until next time!


	5. Reunited, And You're Still The Same

"Axel."

"Hnnnng."

"You think Sora's mad at me?"

"Mmnn-nnngh."

"You sure?"

"Mmmmnn."

Roxas moved his hands from where they were folded behind his head, turning on his side to stare at his boyfriend. Firetruck red spikes stuck out in every direction from underneath the pillow Axel had covered his face with. Roxas reached out a hand to trace over the redhead's ribs, eventually laying his palm flat his chest and watching it rise and fall with the even breaths.

"Axel?" Roxas snuggled closer to Axel, propping him his head on one arm.

"Whnnnnn."

"Do you think...he still likes me?"

Axel's breathing changed for a moment, and Roxas waited eagerly for a reply. Instead, all he received was a heavy sigh as Axel moved the pillow slightly away from his face. "Roxas," he groaned, not bothering to open his eyes, "what have I said about having meaningful conversations with me in bed?"

"The sun's up," Roxas pointed out, his eyebrow raised.

"No, the other thing."

"This indirectly relates to sex because if Sora doesn't like me, then I won't be happy, and if I'm not happy, you're not getting any sex," Roxas reasoned.

Axel smacked a hand to his forehead. "_No,_" he said exasperatedly. "How about 'don't do it'?"

Roxas rolled his eyes up to the ceiling. "Oh, yeah," he said flatly. Then, in an uncharacteristically girlish move, he flung himself across Axel's chest, wrapped his arms around his neck, and peered up at him with wide, blue eyes. "But I'm really worried about this, Axel," he whined. "Pleeeease?"

Axel tangled his hand in his spikes before sighing again and dolefully cracking open his eyes to squint at Roxas. The blond gave him the widest grin he could muster and his best pleading look, much to Axel's disgust. He had yet to master a viable defense against the blond's charms. "Look," he said, flinging the pillow to the other side of the bed, "he's your brother. Unless he's a completely heartless bastard—which, from what I gather of his reaction to seeing you, he's not—he'll like you just fine."

"But it's been seven years," said Roxas quietly. "We've both changed in seven years. Watching him yesterday...it was like watching a complete stranger. I don't even know my own brother."

Axel gathered Roxas in his arms and turned him over onto his back. Propping himself up on an elbow, he stared down at Roxas, who gazed back with traces of trepidation in his eyes. "He's your twin brother, Roxas," Axel said, "and he still loves you. And you love him, too. That much is obvious, and that's really all that matters, isn't it? So what if you've both changed. People tend to do that when they grow up. It's what life is all about."

Roxas closed his eyes and shook his head. "But I don't know him anymore," he said softly. "What if he's nothing like the brother I left? What if he—"

"Then you'll just have to get to know each other again, won't you," interrupted Axel. He soothingly trailed his fingers across Roxas' collarbone. "You'll get the chance to figure out all the little things you love about each other all over again. And you've been watching over him all this time, haven't you?"

Roxas nodded slowly, opening his eyes.

"So, you still saw him as the brother you remembered, right? He acted just the same as you expected he him to. You didn't even suspect that things might have been different," Axel pointed out, and Roxas stiffened.

"I...I couldn't even tell when my own brother was hiding something," he said morosely, looking away.

Axel's jaw dropped open in disbelief. "Christ's sake, Rox," he complained, "you're being pretty damn melodramatic here. My point is, he obviously hasn't changed_ that_ much since you last met."

"But he's an assassin—_Axel_," Roxas said, shouting out Axel's name in annoyance as the redhead chose to cut off the rest of his sentence by throwing himself across the blond. Roxas tried in vain to push Axel's taller, lankier body off his own, but to no avail. Axel only wrapped his arms around Roxas' neck and twined his legs with Roxas'. Finally, Roxas resorted to biting into Axel's shoulder.

Axel gave off a laugh. "Hey, stop that," he chuckled, "it tickles."

"Then get off me," warned Roxas. "I'm trying to have a serious conversation with you."

"Nope," replied Axel. "I'm done. This conversation has left the realm of serious and entered into 'ridiculously paranoid.' My obligation to continue has been terminated."

Roxas sighed, realizing that he was fighting a losing battle. Everything Axel had said was true, anyways, even if he begrudgingly admitted it. "But I—"

Axel cut off his words with a firm kiss on the mouth. "No more," he said gently. "You're overreacting way too much. Sora's still the same—"

A loud thump from the other room caused Roxas to sit up sharply, shoving Axel to the side. The two sat in sudden silence, straining to hear anything. All they heard were Riku's muffled and increasingly more panicked shouts of Sora's name.

Barely glancing at each other, Roxas and Axel darted out of the bed, fumbling at the bedroom door. Once Roxas flung it open with a bang, they thundered across the apartment to the guest bedroom, flinging the door open in trepidation.

Roxas' jaw dropped at the sight that met him. Riku was kneeling over Sora's prone body, gently shaking at his shoulder and calling his name. Axel's eyes widened. "Uh," he said nervously.

Riku looked up to see Roxas' eyes narrowed at him. "I don't know what happened," he said quickly. "One minute I was asleep, and the next, I heard a loud bang, and Sora's on the floor." He looked back to the skinny brunet, poking him in the cheek with a single finger. "He's still alive, though."

Roxas fought the urge to smack his face with his hand. Instead, he made his way over to where Sora lay on the floor, squatting beside him. "What a fucking klutz," he muttered, before jostling Sora's shoulder roughly. "Hey, wake up."

Riku raised an eyebrow at Roxas' rough treatment, but sure enough, the brunet's eyes fluttered open. He parted his lips and furrowed his eyes, staring straight upwards. After a moment, he said, "That is _not_ a bathroom door," consternation heavy in his voice.

Axel snickered in the background. "No shit, dude," he commented.

Sora rolled his eyes towards Axel's general direction and stuck his tongue out. "There would be a bathroom door there if we were in Riku's apartment," he offered as an explanation.

Roxas sighed. "I can't believe you still can't handle mornings after all these years," he said, sticking out a hand to help Sora up.

Sora accepted it gratefully. "And I bet you still sleep with a nightlight," he teased back.

A light blush graced the tops of Roxas' cheeks. "Shut up," he grumbled, as Sora broke into peals of laughter. Roxas only grew redder, and turned to stomp out of the room.

Sora, still laughing, reached out a hand. "Rox, wait! Don't be mad, I didn't mean it," he gasped. He hurried out the door, shoving Axel roughly to the side. He caught up with his brother, throwing his arms around the blond in a hug from behind.

Roxas froze with a long-suffering sigh. "Soo-raaaa," he groaned.

"No, no, no, wait," Sora pleaded. He pulled away and jumped up and down, happily grabbing onto Roxas' arm. "I know! I'll make pancakes! Everyone loves pancakes!"

"Sora, no!" Both Roxas and Riku shouted their alarm in unison as Sora dashed towards the kitchen. The pair glanced at each other, apprehension in their eyes.

"Sora can't..." Roxas started.

"Cook," Riku affirmed, nodding his head. Roxas rubbed at his forehead with his hand.

Axel came between them, throwing an arm around each of their shoulders. "And to think," he said smugly, "you were worried that he wouldn't like you anymore, that he's a completely changed man, that he isn't the brother that you know and love."

"Mother _fuck!_" The sharp curse was followed immediately by a metallic clatter, and more muttered curses.

"But he's still the same idiot twin I grew up with," growled Roxas as he and Riku rushed from Axel's arms to investigate the latest incident.

* * *

"Ow, ow, ow," Sora whined as Riku cleaned and wrapped the puncture wound at the base of his thumb. In his defense, Sora claimed, he'd successfully opened jars of jelly with knives multiple times in the past.

"You don't need jelly to make pancakes," Roxas had deadpanned, and subsequently took over the breakfast duties.

"Quit fidgeting, Sora," Riku said, holding onto the brunet's wrist with a tight grip. He finished taping it up and released him with a warning. Sora nodded guiltily and folded his hands on the kitchen table.

"So," said Axel once the silence stretched for longer than a minute, "what's the game plan for today?"

"What's the game plan for any day, Axel?" Riku slumped down on the table with a tired sigh. "Kill or be killed."

Sora's mouth dropped open, but Axel beat him to speaking. "Okaaay," he drawled, waving a hand in the air, "but what's the specific plan as to how we will be doing this killing slash not getting killed ourselves?"His general plans usually involved burning things to the ground, but Axel figured this type of situation might have needed a bit more finesse. Maybe a flamethrower...

"Excuse me," Sora interrupted, "but there will be no killing on my watch."

Three pairs of eyes fixated on him with incredible disbelief. "Sora..." Roxas said hesitantly.

Said brunet shook his head firmly. "Nope," he ascertained. "We're not killing anyone."

"You...really _are_ an assassin, right? I mean," Axel asked, looking around nervously, "you're not, like, some kind of undercover cop or something?"

Sora rolled his eyes. "Of course not. If I was, you'd all be under arrest right now, right? I just don't like to kill people unless I have a good reason to," he explained.

"And being shot at isn't a good reason?" Riku burst out. "Sora, I don't think you understand. The Organization's members do not play nice. We," he said, pointing between himself, Axel, and Roxas, "would know. Xemnas will stop at _nothing_ to see us dead. Dead, as in dismembered, disemboweled, and spread across 13 countries."

Sora only shrugged. "I just think that they deserve a chance as much as we do," he said quietly, giving Riku a level stare. "Who are we to make that decision for them?"

"So, what's it going to take for you to realize they're not fucking around? One of us getting hurt, possibly killed?" Riku could barely contain his frustration, and it showed in his voice.

"Probably," Sora admitted, much to everyone else's chagrin. "Or if you could somehow get a record of everyone they've ever killed, and I could make a judgment call based on that."

The room fell silent, save for the sizzle of pancake batter on the stove, as they each tried to process what Sora was telling them.

"Look," Sora said with a sigh, "you can even ask my boss. I don't just take any case. I can't. I'm not like you, Rox, where you can put aside your feelings for just a little while. Everything I do, I'm emotionally invested in. Yeah, I kill people for a living, and that itself takes a certain amount of detachment. But I can't kill someone knowing that they might be innocent, or that there's a chance they might change. That's why with every assignment I get, I request a dossier on the person. Xemnas probably knows that, Riku, considering the amount of information I got on you." He fell silent for a moment, mouth thinned into a serious line.

Finally, Axel sighed heavily. "You're a rare find, kid," he said.

Roxas shook his head, turning off the stove with a click. "He's my twin brother," he said without turning around. "We've always been opposites, haven't we?"

Sora grinned weakly. "Of course," he replied.

Another moment of silence passed, and Roxas could feel a smile tugging at his lips. After all the years that had passed, they really were still family. It gave Roxas a huge sense of relief to know that something he thought he'd lost wasn't exactly gone, but still there in disguise. "We'll do this Sora's way," he decided, "and if I still l know my brother, he's probably the best at this out of all of us, anyway. So until a situation arises where it's absolutely unavoidable, no killing."

Roxas glanced at his brother, and they shared a private grin. The Mikan twins were back in business, after a seven year break, and there would be hell to pay.

Axel and Riku, however, simply sat in shocked silence at what had just transpired.

"No killing," moaned Axel, dropping his face to the table in a manner similar to Riku. "Rox, your brother's trying to make saints out of us yet."

"Whoa," said Roxas quickly, "I wouldn't go that far. Sora's no saint, for sure."

Sora, to his credit, only blushed lightly as a cheeky grin made its way across his face.

* * *

A/N: Well, if you haven't noticed, I'm really trying to get back into my writing groove, even though schoolwork and depression try to make short work of my efforts. Still, it's a fight (I think) I'm winning, as evident by the fact that I'm now getting back into Assassins' Tango as well. If you still read this, thanks for hanging around. I appreciate it.

In other, more AT related news, things are about to go down. Or, as we like to say, "Shit just got real, son." That's all. :3

Any grammatical errors-PLEASE let me know. Thanks!


	6. Can I Borrow Your Thumbscrews?

"So," said Riku with the tiniest amount of sarcasm in his voice, "now that we, the killers, have decided that we will be doing no such thing, what exactly is our plan?"

The four of them, all still wearing nothing but their boxers, sat around the kitchen table, half-stuffed with the pancakes Roxas had made. Axel busied himself with his fifth—no, sixth pancake, blissfully ignorant of the questioning stare Roxas was giving him. Sora munched thoughtfully on a slice of fresh mango as he contemplated Riku's question.

"Hm, I dunno," he mused. "I mean, you Organization guys are obviously lacking in the morals department. I have a feeling that busting in, guns blazing isn't exactly going to end well."

Riku barely resisted the urge to smack his boyfriend, choosing instead to smack himself in the face. "No shit, Sora," he said tensely.

Sora only raised an eyebrow at him. "Someone around here has to state the obvious," he mumbled.

"What about your squad, Sora?" Roxas asked. "Would they be willing to help us out?"

Sora nodded. "Yeah," he said, "I think so. I planned on talking to Leon about it anyway. Between us four and the rest of Kingdom Hearts, I'm positive we have more than enough fire power to take on your Organization XIII."

"But we still need a plan of attack," Axel pointed out after swallowing a hefty amount of pancake. "They've probably already gotten to my apartment, and I doubt it's long before they come check Roxy's. We can't hide forever, but we can't just wander into their territory and hope for the best, either."

They fell into silence again, Sora munching on mango, Axel gulping down pancakes, Riku sulking petulantly and Roxas impassively observing it all. Finally, Sora jumped in his seat, startling everyone.

"I know! We kidnap someone from the Organization and torture him for information," Sora said excitedly. "Or we can just torture him and send him back. You know, send a message to Xemnas, fuck with us, and we'll fuck back harder. Or we could just, you know, torture him for fun. If we get bored." A pensive look crossed his face as he considered the possibilities.

Axel and Riku stared at Sora as if he'd suggested they have a bouquet of flowers delivered to Xemnas' doorstep. "Sora," said Riku. "_What?_"

Axel shook his head. "Granted, that sounds like a wonderful plan, given how much I'm sure we all hate Organization XIII right now, but—"

He paused mid-sentence as a loud yet rhythmic series of knocks sounded at the door. The quartet froze and stared at each other, no one daring to move. Silence fell for a few seconds, and then the knocks started up again in the same pattern. Sora caught his brother's eye and stood up quietly, mouthing to him, "I got this."

Roxas gave a short nod, motioning for Riku and Axel to drop to the ground as Sora stealthily took up a position on the right side of the door, back to the wall. Sora could hear the person shuffling around behind the door as well as the tell-tale clicks of a gun being loaded. He glanced towards Roxas, who was busy handing Axel and Roxas the guns he had hidden in his kitchen cabinets, and gestured for Roxas to head into the den, behind the sofa. Just as Roxas leapt into position, a loud thud sounded at the door, and Sora could clearly see that the frame had cracked as he glanced downwards. Adrenaline coursed through his veins as a booted foot cautiously kicked open the door. Sora edged a few inches to his right and flattened himself against the wall so he wouldn't be seen until it was too late for the intruder to act.

The man entered the apartment gun first, held in his right hand while his left held the door open. Before Sora could even see the man's face, he grabbed onto his right wrist, taking special care to press hard on the man's pressure point. At the same time, he wrapped his left arm around the man's throat, a sharp yell the only thing escaping the man's lips before Sora tightened up enough to cut off his air supply. The gun clattered to the ground, and Sora quickly wrenched the arm up behind the man's back. As he started to pass out from lack of oxygen, the man dropped to his knees, forcing Sora to bend over him in order to maintain his chokehold. Before the man could drag him to the ground completely, Sora firmly placed his foot on the man's shoulder and wrenched as hard as he could, dislocating the joint with a slight pop. Merely seconds later, Sora the body in his arms fall limp, and he lowered him to the ground.

He disarmed the man in moments, methodically searching his body for any weapons other than the single gun he was carrying and an extra magazine. "Well," he said as he stood up, "that was ridiculously convenient."

"Define convenient," grumbled Riku as he and Axel made their way over to the door. Roxas snorted as he vaulted over the couch to join them, his gun still aimed at the inert intruder.

Sora grinned widely and folded his hands behind his head. "Now we have someone to torture! And we didn't even have to go through the trouble of finding him ourselves," he pointed out gleefully.

Axel's jaw dropped. "Demyx?" he exclaimed, his eyes going wide. "You're going to torture..._Demyx?_"

As the other three men in the room recognized the man on the floor, each with some kind of muttered curse, the smile slowly began dropping off Sora's face. "You guys know him?" he questioned.

He was met with silence. "Shit," grumbled Roxas, holding a hand to his forehead.

Sora's face fell. "So he's on our side?" he asked glumly.

Axel and Riku looked to each other. Riku shook his head slowly. "No, he would never do anything to betray Zexion, and he's still very loyal to Xemnas," he answered.

"He's just a really nice guy," said Axel, shrugging his shoulders. "He hardly ever goes out on actual assignments. Usually Xemnas uses him to deliver...eh, non-violent messages. People tend not to shoot him, he's kind of unassuming."

The brunet raised an eyebrow. "You jump down my throat for not wanting to kill everyone on sight, yet you refuse to let me torture someone who just kicked down our front door," he said carefully.

Riku winced. "It's not that, Sora," he tried to explain. "It's just...it's _Demyx_. I can't even remember the last time he actually killed someone."

"Yeah," Axel chimed in. "He's a pretty simple kid, but his heart's in the right place."

"You mean you feel sorry for him," Sora huffed in irritation. "Bleeding hearts."

"No! That's not it," Riku exclaimed. He fidgeted a bit, and then rolled his eyes. "I just don't think...I don't think it'd be fair to torture him. He doesn't deserve it."

Sora narrowed his eyes in confusion. "So," he said matter-of-factly, "we're not torturing him because you guys are pussies."

Riku's and Axel's mouths worked for words. After at least of minute of them sputtering out their indignation, Roxas sighed and stepped into the argument. "Sora, to be pragmatic, torturing Demyx would result in practically nothing," he argued. "There's only one reason why Xemnas would have sent him to us, and that's to deliver some kind of message. Xemnas might be crazy, but he's not stupid; he wouldn't send one guy to kill the four of us and expect him to come out on top. The chances that Demyx actually has useful information are virtually zero."

A willful pout graced Sora's lips. "We can't just torture him for fun, then? Please?" he whined, letting a plaintive tone slip into his voice.

Roxas stared hard at his brother for a moment before turning away. "Fine," he said with a long-suffering air.

Immediately Axel began protesting. "_What?_ You're just gonna let him—!" He purposefully avoided looking at Sora's cheerful dance of victory.

Roxas pinched the bridge of his nose. "In case you haven't noticed, Axel, Riku," he said pointedly, "he's on the side of the people who are trying to kill us. As in, bury us. As in, erase our existence. I hate to say it, but if you guys don't have a better argument than 'he's a nice guy,' you really kind of are pussies." He shrugged, and then smirked. "Plus, he's my brother. I like to see him happy."

Sora grinned and rushed over to hug his brother. "Aw, Rox, I love you too," he cooed.

Axel's lips tightened into a thin line. "You're a bloodthirsty little shit, aren't you Rox," he stated, folding his arms over his chest. Roxas only narrowed his eyes.

"They both are," agreed Riku, a frown playing on his lips. Sora's eyes lit up.

"Oh, come on, ball up," he said playfully, making a quick grab at his boyfriend's cock. As Riku irritatedly tried to brush him away, Sora only danced around him, standing behind him to wrap his arms around Riku's waist. He pressed a soft kiss to Riku's shoulder.

"Don't be upset," Sora whispered quietly. "If it means that much to you, I'll take it easy on him."

Riku begrudgingly nodded his head. "He's a good person," he mumbled. "He deserves a second chance. He deserves a way out of this."

Sora nodded his head in agreement. "That's why we're not killing him," he pointed out cheekily, forcing a light blush to Riku's face. Despite his erratic thought processes, somehow Sora always managed to out-logic him in the end.

Having settled things with Riku, Sora bounced excitedly on his tiptoes, glancing over Riku's shoulder at Roxas. "So," he asked, "you wouldn't happen to have any thumbscrews handy, would you?" He was practically vibrating with energy.

Roxas raised an eyebrow and shook his head, but Sora wasn't deterred.

"No? How 'bout a whip?" He hazarded a quick glance at Axel. "No offense, but he looks like a real sexual deviant over there."

Axel had the grace to blush lightly, while Roxas only raised both eyebrows and shook his head again. Sora sighed heavily.

"Seriously? What about a Judas Chair? A Cat's Paw? A fucking taser?" Sora began beating his forehead against Riku's back as Roxas continued to answer negatively.

Riku glanced over his shoulder. "Do _you_ even have a Judas Chair, Sora?" he questioned fearfully.

A slight stirring from Demyx on the ground made Sora peek downwards before answering. "No," he said petulantly, aiming a mild glare at his brother, "but I do have an iron maiden. And I sure as fuck have a whip." Riku looked slightly disturbed by the information, but refused to say anything. Axel shifted uncomfortably, and Roxas rolled his eyes.

"Look, do you at least have some goddamn rope?" Sora complained.

A brilliant grin broke out on Roxas' face, and Axel visibly paled. "That, dearest brother," Roxas answered silkily, "I do."

* * *

A/N: Fair warning, the next chapter will have torture in it. :3


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